We know that gout is an illness that is being assaulted by various misconceptions and impulsive judgments. For various people, they often think that those who suffer from gout are the stereotyped alcoholic carnivores. And just like some other judgments out there, the modern knowledge has proven them all wrong. Still, alcohol and meat are undoubtedly bad for gout. Not just that, there are more foods that are bad for gout that truly makes the condition much worse.
In this article, you will get to know about the different foods that are bad for gout. Furthermore, you will also know why these foods are bad for the condition. So sit back, relax and enjoy reading this article!
Foods That Are Bad For Gout
There is a multitude of foods that are bad for gout, and they have two distinct characteristics, which make them very mean. I am talking about acidity and purine. Both of these factors may actually lead to the accumulation of the uric acid and in due course the much-avoided gout attack. Unhappily however, there are some of these bad foods for gout that are so valuable in the diet. But still, they are worthy of taking note.
You most likely have heard of purine, it is the mortal enemy of those who suffers from gout. Those foods that are rich in purine must be avoided. You know why? Well, this is because the uric acid comes from purine. More precisely, the uric acid is made up of purine, which is just broken down. However, that doesn’t make the purine a villain. The body actually needs purine, actually you are made of purine. As a matter of fact, purine is everywhere in the body, because all the materials of the DNA are made up of purine. That being said, avoiding purine is very impossible. Apart from purine is present in every food we eat, purine is in almost all the corners of the body. But there are some foods that are exceptionally oozing with so much purine.
Going back to the fact that purine is essential to the body. We know that anything that is excessively being taken is bad for the health, the same goes with purine. Therefore, purine must be excreted out of the body. However, since the purine is an important macromolecule, it’ll not be able to pass on to the filters of the kidneys. Therefore, there is a need for it to be chunked into smaller pieces –the uric acid. Now, this is what makes the foods rich in purine bad for gout. The more purine there is in the food, the more uric acid to be accumulated. What adds to this is foods that are acidic. In case of the net acidity of the diet going above the average, lesser and lesser uric acid is being excreted. After all, uric acid isn’t the only one that needs to be flushed out of the body. Some other acids, like the oxalic acid that comes from diet must also be excreted. This is what lengthens the queue, and then the uric acid is then forced to stay in the body for a little while, thereof boosting the chance of adding up into the existing uric acid crystal.
Greens…
We know that green leafy vegetables are delicious and healthy, that’s with no doubt. However, there are some that are moderately rich in purine, and some are even oozing with it. this is one of the many factors, which makes the gout diet ironic and complicated. Some nutritious foods may cause harm to you. Apart from being rich in purine, the dark leafy vegetables are typically rich in oxalate too. The oxalate is being excreted as the oxalic acid. Therefore, leading so much space for the excretion of the uric acid. Moreover, the oxalate can also make the urine saturated, thus giving a boost on the chance of uric acid kidney stones. The dark green leafy vegetables are part of the list of the foods bad for gout.
Red Meat…
In general, red meat is bad for the overall health. It may even be the number one on the list of the foods bad for gout. The red meat has it all –oxalate, acidity, purine, and preservatives, which acts as carcinogens. Even though you don’t have gout, you must stay away from it.
Caffeine…
This accelerates the lactic acid production. Therefore, lesser space for the excretion of uric acid. Some examples of which are tea and coffee. Furthermore, both the coffee and tea are oozing with oxalates.
Alcohol…
The connection between alcohol and gout is actually a nasty one. Alcohol has the capacity to dehydrate you. Therefore, the uric acid is much more easily saturated and much easier to crystalize. Also, it accelerates the lactic acid production.
